Dear Azy, Rumi, and Ari,
Last time we finished with the story of David slaying Goliath with God’s help. We’re going to continue the adventures of Saul and David today and how it went from Saul being king to David as the second king of Israel.
The first thing to know is even though Samuel had anointed David as king, he did not become king right away. He had to wait for God’s timing and when God thought it was the right time for him to start to rule. After David defeated Goliath, his popularity grew. Saul didn’t know what to make of David. He was this boy who was his harp player that was small in size, but huge in heart, and it appeared God was with him. Because Samuel had told Saul God is no longer with him and his rule would end with him, meaning his son, Jonathan, would never be king, he grew jealous of David. On a few nights while David was playing his harp, his jealousy grew and Saul threw his spear at him. David saw the spear and managed to get away. Saul would apologize and blame the night terrors he had been experiencing, but David knew Saul was trying to destroy him. Jonathan, unlike his father, always looked to serve God first. He liked David and even though Samuel told him it was not God’s will for Jonathan to be king as he had anointed David, Jonathan obeyed the lords command for he wanted what was best for Israel and God.
So Saul kept sending David out to battle against their enemies hoping they would destroy David. Instead, David would go out to battle and win many victories making him even more popular among the Israelites. Here is what David would do each time. Before the battle, he would consult God on whether he would give them the victory and if they should go into battle. Many times, God not only told him yes or no, but he gave David the best strategy. For instance, attack from all sides or he would confuse the enemies where they would destroy each other. After winning many battles, David would always give credit to God for the victory, knowing God was the reason they were able to defeat their enemies, even when their enemies outnumbered them, sometimes 4 to 1 or more.
One time, as David returned from battle, he asked Jonathan’s help to know whether it was safe to come home. Jonathan told him to meet him tomorrow in the field. Jonathan said, I’m going to shoot an arrow to the field. If I tell my servant to go get the arrow, you are safe. If I tell him to go further, that means you need not return. That night, Saul had a party and when he saw David was delayed in getting back, he was furious. The next day, Jonathan went into the fields and shot an arrow. He told his servant to go further, giving David the instruction to not return home. Later on, David and Jonathan met and talked about supporting each other to conquer their enemies for Israel and serve the will of God. When Saul found Jonathan was helping David, he grew even more angry.
Few lessons here. Saul grew jealous of David because David was interfering with his plans to continue his rule. But Jonathan wanted to help David because it was God’s plan for David to rule. Sometimes in life you have to do things that may not be what you want, but what God wants for you, even if God’s plan goes against your own plans. When this happens, know that what’s important is God’s plan, not yours. Serve God because ultimately this is your main purpose here on earth. And God may use you to serve the rest of his people. This could be you helping others or doing ministry work. Always put God’s plan for you first. Second, surround yourself with friends that aren’t interested in what’s best for them, but helping you serve God above everything else. So Jonathan supported David because that’s what God wanted, even though it was against his own best interest, which was to become king as the heir to the throne of Saul. Having friends that believe in God and support his will, and you do the same for them, even though it may not benefit you, will make sure both of you are able to live your life according to God’s plan and your purpose is fulfilled here on earth. Next, look at how David approved each battle. First, he consulted God with what to do before making a decision. Second, he obeyed God in every detail of the instructions God gave him. Third, and this is the one most people forget, he made sure to give the credit, or glory, to God for the victory, not himself, for without God it would not be possible. So, in your life, before making any decision, pray to God and see how it is he wants you to move forward. If he doesn’t answer you, look to the bible and his word to see what God has done in the past, like here with David and Saul. And you can ask mommy or Daddy if you’re not sure where to look in the bible and we can show you a story, or a place in the bible, that would help you. And third, just as important, when God blesses you by helping you solve the problem, make sure to tell everyone it was God who helped you solve the problem and how he helped you solve it. You see, this third step, because God give us talents and ideas, when we do something, we sometimes think they did it all themselves. We forget it was God that gave them those ideas, gave us a mind to think with, gave us a body that works without us thinking about it to take action, and creates all the circumstances with just the right people with the right timing to solve that problem with us. So it’s important to not forget where you came from. God is the one who created you. He’s the one who makes everything in your life possible. He’s the one who gave you a mommy and daddy who love you and care for you. And all the aunts and amoos and granjoon and daya to be with you, play with you, love you, and be a part of your life. God has given you many blessings. So it’s important when you do anything and have some type of success, you thank God and tell everyone it was because of him you were able to do it.
Continuing with our story, as David kept winning battles, more and more men continued to join him in the battles for they knew God was with David. They were might warriors made up of some of the best from the 12 tribes of Israel. Meanwhile, Saul and his army came after David a few times to destroy him. Two times, David had a chance to destroy Saul. First time was when Saul and his army were chasing David, him and his men went to hide in the caves. When Saul and his army went into the caves, they got lost and David has a chance to destroy Saul when he appeared in the dark before him. One of David’s men told him surely God is handing Saul to you. But David took his knife and tore off a piece of Saul’s garment. Once Saul and his army came out of the cave, David called them and said Saul, why do you keep chasing me? If I’ve done something wrong, may God deal with me. But in the cave I had the chance to destroy you. Here’s a piece of your garment as proof. But I did not because God anointed you king. And God will say when your time has ended. And Saul felt bad and returned home. But Saul’s ambitions led him to go after David again. This time, David and a few men went into Saul’s camp late at night. Again, David had Saul in his hand and his men told him, this is the second time God has handed you Saul. Surely, you will destroy him and take your rightful place as the king of Israel. But David again took some of the royal garments in Saul’s tent and the next day called to Saul’s camp. David again said, Saul, why do you come after me? Last night, I entered your tent and could have destroyed you. But I did not because God has anointed you king and here is your kingly robe and collections from your tent as proof. Please stop chasing me. Saul again apologized and went home, knowing he could not do anything now in front of his men. David also did not destroy Saul as it would set a bad precedent, or standard, to say you can destroy a king because he knew he was the next one in line and he didn’t want anyone to think they can go against God’s wishes to destroy a king that he had anointed. Eventually, Saul was defeated by the Philistines in a battle and both Saul and Jonathan were destroyed in the battle.
There are many lessons here. First, David was tested by God by putting Saul in front of him multiple times. Here is a man who was clearly trying to destroy him because of his own jealousy and plans that were not from God. But David resisted the temptation because he knew God had anointed Saul. And when it was time for his rule to end and his to begin, God would do so himself. It’s easy to be tempted to go against God, especially when things seem easier by doing so. That’s when it’s important to continue to do what is God’s will and what he wants us to do. This could be being nice to people you don’t get along with, forgiving others or yourself when you might not feel like it, or sharing our stuff so others feel involved even though it’s easier to keep our stuff to ourselves. But God wants us to be caring, kind, and forgiving to others. That is part of his will for us here on earth. So we must practice this, even though it’s not easy, as that’s part of our test here on earth before we return home to God. Also, look at how patient David has been to become king. It has been a long time since Samuel had anointed him king. He could have started battling Saul from the beginning for his throne. After defeating Goliath, he had the support of the Israelites, but by waiting patiently, and making decisions with God throughout his life, the people of Israel saw God was with him, and their faith in him grew more and more to where he grew a kingdom that’s never ended because it was passed on to his descendants. One of those descendants was Jesus, the son of God, whose rule on earth started 2000 years ago and will last forever.
Next time, we’ll talk about the final steps before David was able to become king of Israel and all his wonderful stories. Until the next adventure! Love you. 🙂
Love,
Daddy
4/12/25
